I have long really fine curly frizz hair. I have some chemical (non natural) shampoo I only use when I want really smooth locks, Joico brand Moisture Recovery. Blue bottles. Shamp and Conditioner, both REALLY soft and adds lots of weight to your hair. Pretty goopy for daily use at home but I swear by it out there and campmates always want to borrow it. I dont fully rinse out the conditioner. I know evap ponds hate me and my chemical slime but my hair is such a bitch I just have to. Bronners would turn me into a piece of chalk. I used to wrap up a bun and use hair falls for fun but i am enjoying my hair down. Obvious trick that I didnt realize right away: When dust builds up, dont try to brush it out until AFTER conditioning!! I lost an inch once because I just overlooked this.

I have thick wavy hair thats sits just above my shoulders. I blow dry it and flat iron it before I get to the Playa and it usually looks okay throughout the week. Humidity is terrible for my hair, but the dry conditions of the Playa seem to help keep it straight.

My sister is a hairstylist and gave me a hair mask called It's A 10. I use it on my off days as a leave in conditioner. I pull it through wet hair and put it up in braids, ponytail or a bun and have left it in for up to 4 days before washing. Never sticky or oily (even here in humid Texas), never dirty looking, and the hair is soft as silk and still smells great days later. She suggested I try that, adding more daily or as needed, and keeping my hair in braids and covered with a bandana and/or hat when I can.

Also loving the coconut suggestion! I use it for everything (including taking a teaspoon or 2 a day as a "supplement") and was planning on taking some to the playa anyway, so... Coconut oil is reported to have antifungal and some antibacterial properties as well. Great for skin.

Jojoba oil is the closest of all oils to our own natural body oils. GREAT oil to use on your face and body as well as hair. I'm an esthetician and have been recommending both of these oils to clients for years. We'll see if my own advice pans out. lol

I have curly frizzy hair and I use Tigi Bed Head before I go to the playa, blow dry it straight and then don't wash my hair. My hair will start to curl by the next day and then I brush it and it goes straight again, unless I wash it. If you can manage to keep your hair clean without rewashing it, the bed head will keep even the curliest hair straight for about 4 days at a time. I would also put in a little Garnier Fructis control serum for frizzy hair, which makes curly hair shine really nicely. GL!

I braid wool "dreads" into my hair, about 50 or so. This eliminates the need for any styling, keeps my hair protected, and looks awesome as well (in fact my hair is pretty much my costume for the week). The wool is surprisingly light and breathable, and it's somewhat flame retardant, so that is a plus, in case a rogue spark lands on you, or you're a fire conclave hooper or what have you....

I have long, fine, yet full, low body, straight hair-- ridiculous explanations but my point; my hair tangles like crazy. On the playa, it is the worst. The best way I've found to care for it is to braid it before hand (I also make fake dreads and braid them in) and as soon as I get home and hit a shower, I completely wash it and condition it without taking it out of the braids. The next time I shower its usually pretty manageable.However, if leaving your hair out of braids, on the playa I use a spray bottle of vinegar and water. Though its smelly and probably harsh it helps to break down the playa. I spray my hair and immediately follow with a towel to rub out as much of the playa as I can. After running my fingers through it, I put a bit of jojoba or coconut oil and get it as manageable as possible. Works alright for me.

It stayed up all week and washed out with no problem when I finally got to a shower (900 miles and 9 days later)

The braid in the back is a little loose at this point because I had already removed the fibre-optic Mohawk that was glued inside. Which brings up a side-note...Be careful when you spray that shit...It melts plastic! (Who knew?!)

Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.~ Albert Einstein

I braid my hair ,( as in my sig ) when on my bike it would just ratt up if not braided.

“Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

I braided my curly hair before I went and it still annoyed me in the wind and dust. I would have gone by one of the haircutting camps but I really didn't want to end up with a mohawk. I did hack it off when I got home. This year I'm cutting it short before i go. I've even thought about buzzing it, but I don't want a sunburned scalp if I forget to grab my hat on a walk down the streets. Hair blowing in my eyes drives me crazy (short trip). Hair products make my scalp itch. Wigs are too hot. Maybe I'll do a modified buzzcut and look like a tuft of beach grass.

... and then when you get home, after two weeks of desert abuse, you have to cut off 6 inches. No, thank you. Wear braids.Add colorful stuff, or not.Know that braids require time and care both on the front and back ends.Your hairs will thank you.

gaminwench wrote:... and then when you get home, after two weeks of desert abuse, you have to cut off 6 inches. No, thank you. Wear braids.Add colorful stuff, or not.Know that braids require time and care both on the front and back ends.Your hairs will thank you.

I'm seeing lots of great options for hair care products, and some good ones for styles too. Definitely gonna bring a few of these out, even though I have long since shed my butt-length hair.

Have you looked into/are you interested in braids? Not just the hanging-down-your-back braid, but the intricate ones that rival cornrows for containment and application time? You can do amazing things with long hair and a good braid stylist. If there isn't a local braider to you, I'd bet my hat (which is an awesome hat) that there will be someone on the playa who will be happy to play with your hair. Braid it up, leave it in, wash it without even taking it out--there is definitely a stylin' option there.

“When you’re a kid, they tell you it’s all… Grow up, get a job, get married, get a house, have a kid, and that’s it. But the truth is, the world is so much stranger than that. It’s so much darker. And so much madder. And so much better."

“Two of my favorite things are sitting on my front porch smoking a pipe of sweet hemp, and playing my Hohner harmonica.” - Abraham Lincoln (from a letter written by Lincoln during his presidency to the head of the Hohner Harmonica Company in Germany)

Use yelp.com to look up "braids" and "cornrows" in your hometown if you're interested.

It costs a bit, so if it's not in the budget, get your scrap and ribbon basket! . . .

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I did this once off playa and it turned out great (thanks ruespieler!) so I'm probably going to do it again at some point during the Burn week.

It's not very hard at all. It took me perhaps two hours to do, and maybe an hour to un-do. (It goes faster if you have scissors and aren't trying to preserve absolutely everything you used). Remember to have varying sizes of coated rubber bands (they're better than bare rubber) and to tie off stuff that could fray. She burns the edges of her ribbons; which might be faster, but look out.

*** 2016 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

I have medium long hair and I never realized people had so many issues with their hair while in the desert! The couple burns I've been to I've dealt with my hair with little to no problems. I wash and deep condition it right before I leave for the desert. Once I'm out there I mostly wear it down and I wash it once mid week. When I wash it mid week I just shampoo it and work a bit of this http://www.lush.ca/R-B/03080,en_CA,pd.html into the ends of my hair. I then de-tangle to the best of my abilities with my fingers and if I can find my comb, I use that. I then pin curl my hair while it's still wet. I like the way my hair looks all pinned up, so I usually wear it a day and night like that, then when I take it out I have long lasting curls since playa seems to be a great hair product. I like putting my hair in pin curls because it makes me feel so fancy. I also throw a scarf over my head some days and wet my hair down when I'm hot.

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. I should mention that I love what the dust does to my hair and I don't mind looking wild and frizzy. I get my ends trimmed when I get home and I haven't had any permanent damage.

silicone lube, Baby!! (I use Gun Oil-in the black and gold pump)It will not go rancid, or flake, or get crusty. (Unlike food grade oils, or conditioner)

Did two braids for set up, and tear down, to protect it from UBER dust. Have hair to below my nipples. Brushed it through with a bit more lube everyday, let it run free most nights. looked fab, no breakage no tangles.

This is my second year using this trick.

I took two showers, water only through the hair, put more lube in it.

Everything washed out with one shampoo and conditioning at the hotel in Reno.

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” George Washington Carver

ok so I was a virgin this year and didn't think about my hair pre-burn. I think Burning Man killed my hair. It's usually really soft and silky (it's my best attribute, so you know, you gotta work it), and now it's straw and kind of hard to brush through, as if there is a residue or maybe it's dry? I can't figure out which it is. I also had a TON of split ends from BM. How can I help it recover? Does it need something really strong to strip residue, or does it need a deep conditioner? I can't figure why it feels this way and don't know if it is becuase of the driness or dust or both - nor how to fix it!

I wish I had better news or advice :-/..... I had to get my hair cut to get rid of the split ends and have been deep condition every other day since the playa. It is starting to feel a little more back to normal. I am using a hair mask to hopefully save it some more:) Next year braids:)

"Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves" - Henry David Thoreau